Making a name for itself as the ideal London home for Disney musical spectaculars, the glistening winter of ‘Frozen’ has transformed into the blistering heat of ‘Hercules’ as the myth comes roaring to the stage complete with catchy tunes, powerhouse vocals and some wonderfully whimsical puppetry.   Hercules (played at this performance by Felipe Bejarano) is the son of Zues and Hera (Joel Benjamin and Ellie Mitchell), loved and celebrated as a mighty god. That is until his unc

‘It’s 12 noon in London, 7am in Philadelphia, and around the world it’s time for Live Aid’   That was nearly exactly 40 years ago, when Live Aid took to the airwaves around the globe, two concerts on two continents, world famous music acts and millions watching either live or via their television screens. Perhaps one of the greatest concerts ever to take place, and it was all in aid of the famine of Ethiopia, the idea the brainchild of one Bob Geldof. And it is the story of L

Since its publication on this day in 1813, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has had countless stage and screen adaptations and has gained international recognition as one of the most famous love stories around. In today’s modern age, you may call it a will they, won’t they tale of mismatched lovers with its settings of grand country estates, beautiful period costuming and its tale of dropping one’s own pride and not being too judgemental of others. Over the years, its popula

Rodgers and Hammerstein, a double act famed for the role that they played in the world of musical theatre. Oklahoma! Carousel. The Sound of Music. Cinderella. South. Pacific. I could go and on, but I won’t. I just wanted to give you a taste of this team’s catalogue. These musicals are deemed classics, they are loved, adored the world over, timeless. And now out of a UK Tour, another R&H classic is once again charming audiences with its old school style, stunning costumes and

First things first, I would like to apologise if I get any cast names wrong in this review. At the performance I attended, the matinee on Wednesday 29th March, the electronic cast board in the theatre foyer was not working. We all know the story of The Wizard of Oz, the tale of Dorothy being transported to the magical land of Oz where she becomes friends with a scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly Lion on an adventure to find the wizard, escape the wicked witch and ultimately

Please note the photos in this review are of the original cast, not the current cast It’s one of the hottest tickets in town, and perhaps one of the most talked about shows around. The theatre has had a massive makeover and the audiences continue to flock over a year after opening. This is Moulin Rouge, the musical, the spectacle, the experience; and I’m not over exaggerating when I say that there really isn’t anything else like it. You may shake your head and simply call it

Mischief Movie Night, Fleabag and Six. What do they all have in common? Well, these three massive hit shows all come from humble beginnings, getting their start in the world at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and now another success story has come barrelling out of its Fringe starting block to global popularity: The Choir of Man, which premiered at the festival in 2017. Featuring an all-male cast of talented vocalists, musicians and wordsmiths, The Choir of Man invites the audi

It’s a Disney classic and a family favourite, delighting all ages for many years and consistently raising the bar for the type of special effects that can be achieved in a live stage production. ‘Mary Poppins’, the world’s most magical nanny, with her technicolour adventures, fantastic stories, and mystical ways, has been a stage hit since 2004, enjoying London and New York success and popular tours. It swooped back into the West End, back into the Prince Edward Theatre in 20

These days jukebox musicals, seen as guaranteed crowd pleasers, are commonplace up and down the country, entertaining those visiting the glittering west end and sending audiences flocking to their regional theatres in their droves. These popular shows often rely heavily on a singer/group’s most well-known hits, the types of songs that have theatregoers proclaiming, ‘hey I know this one’ and sending them home with a tune stuck in their heads, but sometimes a show can deep dive

Images not of performances mentioned Over the years, the Edinburgh Fringe has become known for many things; street performers, mad dashes from venue to venue and comedy acts that are simply impossible to resist. Improv comedy has always proved a popular choice at the festival, and some theatre companies have become so well known for it that they are amongst the top choice to see at the fringe. And when it comes to inventing a show on the spot, you can’t go wrong with the Show

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Get Up, Stand Up: The Bob Marley Musical, The Cher Show, and Jersey Boys. It’s safe to say that musicals telling the stories of real-life music stars aren’t exactly in short supply, and you’d be forgiven for wondering if perhaps there wasn’t space for another but with so many music stars out there with a story to tell about what really happened behind the glamour of their careers, it’s not really surprising th

Springing onto the movie screens in glorious technicolour in 1952 and onto the West End in all dancing, singing spectacular in 1983, ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ is a staple in the world of classic musicals, harking back to the golden age of Hollywood. The story centres around Don Lockwood (played here by Sam Lips), a great star of silent movies in the 1920’s and the challenges faced in the move towards talking pictures. Lockwood is famed for performing alongside fellow star Lina La

Tasting notes are strings of adjectives, increasingly precise and sometimes obscure, meant as a sensory examination and evaluation of a drink. More informal, recreational tasting may usually involve a much less analytical process for a more general, personal appreciation (the gill girl, pribblebabble.wordpress.com, 2013). Although usually applying to a drink, in this case wine, the idea of a tasting note can allow be directly applied to day-to-day life and way in which we s

After proving a hit and a star making machine on Broadway, Dreamgirls opened in London’s West End in late 2016, running through to early 2019 and now, after what felt like a long delay due to Covid, the show has hit the road on a UK Tour, bringing the glitz, glamour, and grit of showbusiness in the hard-hitting music industry. Loosely, shall we say inspired, by the story of musical legend Diana Ross and her experiences of the challenging industry, Dreamgirls tells the story o

Cher is an icon of the pop fame, that cannot be denied, and like many other famous faces of music such as Tina and Frankie Valli, she is the latest of a long line of world-famous talent to have their story brought to life on the stage in an all singing, all dancing jukebox musical. She may have found super stardom in The Sonny and Cher Show, becoming half of an iconic double act but this production is all about her. The Cher Show follows the star’s journey from her teenage ye

(Please note, the photographs in this review may not feature some of the cast members mentioned) #Pressreview - gifted After such a long...

After starting life as a short performance in a school, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Tim Rice’s ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat...

They say that three is the magic number, and for Disney, three is the number spreading magic all over the glittering West End with The...

Just as in life, ‘What If’ is a big and powerful question in storytelling and when it comes to theatre, the simple question of ‘What If?’...

(Please note, I could not find a cast board anywhere at the performance I attended, therefore I apologise in advance if I get any names...